Turnabout
by the 85th writer
Summary: The day that was supposed to be the best in his life suddenly turned out to be the worst. Tony/Pepper
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I have had writer's block. And I'm not sure it hasn't gone either. PLus my dog got sick; and people at work started thinking I'm actually a _capable_ employee, so I've been bogged down with work. :P  
Feedback is love, children**.**

Edit: I don't know why I wrote Alan Arkin, I meant Aaron Eckhart.

--

The lily was small, petite; with a deep orange blush at its throat. From here sprang five delicate cream coloured petals, which tapered forward like pale fingers into five narrow tips. To complete the whole effect, the entire corolla was dusted with a fine smattering of cinnamon coloured freckles.

The Asiatic lily. So beautiful and so rare.  
And so perfectly Pepper Potts.

He closed his eyes and breathed in its delicate fragrance. Vanilla with perhaps a hint of something akin to lavender. _God_, _it even smelled like her_, he thought as he stepped back to survey his handiwork. The entire workshop was filled with Asiatic lilies. From the floor to the ceiling, heavy white flower heads the size of his hand peeked out in every conceivable direction; lending the area a _pure_ sort of beauty that Tony was sure it had never seen before. He rubbed his hands together in satisfaction as he began putting away the junk that was lying around. He decided to tuck in a few daylilies among the white flowers. They were Pepper's favourite and wove a touch of gold into the white. After all, the place had to look presentable.

"Whaddaya think, Jarvis? Think she'll like it?" he asked, as he wiped away an errant spot of grease onto his already filthy t-shirt. "I believe Miss Potts' favourite flower is actually the pink thistle, sir." replied the AI. Tony rolled his eyes as he stooped to pick up a fallen lily flower. "The thistle is a _weed_, Jarvis. And her favourite flower is the _daylily_." "I believe you are only partially right, sir. Her _public _favourite lower is indeed, the daylily." The AI paused before continuing quietly. "However, it is my opinion that the pink thistle would be _more_ suited for this... particular occasion."

Tony turned in the direction of the speakers, listening to the disembodied voice that was Jarvis. He twirled the stem of the showy white blossom between his fingers and smiled to himself.

_Trust Potts to like pink thistles_.

_Scrappy_ little flower too, he mused. Thorny on the outside and pink and soft on the inside. He looked at the fragile flowers of the white and yellow lilies around him and his smile widened. "You know what, Jarvis? I believe you're right. Call Stabler and have him find me some pink thistles."

Tony placed the lily on the table top and began walking up the stairs. As he got into the shower he began to wonder when he had realised that Pepper Potts meant the whole world to him. Maybe it was when she'd looked at him with those red rimmed eyes of hers as he'd stepped off the plane. Maybe it was when she'd been willing to stick around with him after the whole 'I am Iron Man' fiasco. (He was _still_ hearing about that one and it had already been 3 _weeks_). Maybe it was because they just _blended_ together so well.

Maybe it was the day he'd seen the blonde haired Aaron Eckhart look-alike hanging around her desk.

Tony scowled as he slid into the Audi R8. What did Pepper _see_ in that guy anyway? He pushed the gear into fifth as the car raced down the road. Not that it mattered really; because he'd given Pepper an _obscene_ amount of work that had kept her monumentally busy while he'd planned all of this. And he'd gotten her Asiatic lilies _and_ pink thistles. Take _that_ fake Aaron Eckhart bastard! And anyway, bad looks aside, the guy even _behaved_ like such a… dumbass. Tony rolled his eyes in disgust as he parked the car. His plan was simple.

Step one, Find Potts.  
Step two, take Potts to the workshop (preferably blindfolded, but he hadn't worked out how yet).  
Step three; overwhelm Potts with thoughtful gift of flowers.  
Step four, kiss Potts senseless.  
And step five, well… He grinned to himself as he stepped into his office.

A half an hour later he was hiding behind the door; sneaking peeks at the desk where his assistant usually sat. She hasn't come in yet apparently.  
_Stabler_ had come through though; and as soon as he'd entered his office he'd found six pink thistles duly wrapped in cellophane on his desk. He'd bunched them together, and tied a white silk ribbon around to hold them in place. (And so maybe it wasn't the _perfect _bouquet – actually he thought it was rather ugly and plain looking – but it was the thought that counted right?) Now all he had to do was nervously rock back and forth on his heels; only pausing intermittently to suck on his finger (he'd scratched it tying the damn flowers together) as he waited for her to come.

_Where the hell was she?_

His traitorous mind had already begun conjuring scenarios that involved Pepper blowing off work to be out on a date with fake Aaron Eckhart. (And none of them ended with her slapping him away, quite far from it in fact). As it was, he was so caught up in his fantasies (newer ones though, where he beat the shit out of fake Aaron Eckhart) that he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard footsteps. Pausing only to smother his hair into place, he stepped out with a charming smile on his face.

And almost walked into fake Aaron Eckhart.

Tony casually slid the bouquet behind his back as he sized up his competition. Not for the first time, he wondered _what_ Pepper saw in this blonde _ass_ that looked like a poster child for Surfer Magazine_. _As he observed the sheer _blondeness _of the man, it took all of his willpower to not deck him right there. But he knew he'd have hell to pay with Pepper if he did. And besides, why pass up a chance to intimidate the guy?

Tony stuck out his hand and smiled wolfishly, showing all of his teeth. "Hi. I'm Tony. How may I help you?" Fake Aaron Eckhart smiled lopsidedly in return as he shook Tony's hand with a firm grip. "Wow! The great Tony Stark himself. Hi, I'm Malcolm. And please, call me Mal. I'm here to meet Ginny." Tony looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "Ginny? Who is - oh, you mean Pepper. She should be around soon. Why not have a seat while we wait?"

As they sat down, Tony looked at Mal-the-Blonde-One surreptitiously. He'd called Pepper _Ginny_. Which was a _nickname_. (Sure it wasn't imaginative or cute like _Pepper_, but it _was_ a nickname. And only he was allowed to give Potts nicknames _goddamnit! _) The thorns of the thistle pricked his hand again, and he unthinkingly set down the bouquet on the table. Mal-the-dipshit looked at the flowers. "Thistles? An... _unusual_ choice of flower, I must say. Who're they for?"

Tony cursed himself and the thorns as he wiped his bleeding hand on his trousers. "They're mine. My… um, niece gave them to me. She, uh, she likes them." he said quickly, fingering the pink flowers on the table. Mal-the-dumbass laughed. "Yeah... Kids'll be kids. Now Ginny, _she_ likes yellow daylilies."

Tony smiled with barely suppressed glee.  
The bastard didn't even know her favourite _flower._ Score one for Team Stark!

"I wouldn't know. Pepper can be very… _unpredictable_ at times. So how do you know her? Old college buddy? Neighbor? Brother?" he asked innocently.

_Pshh. _What a _dick_weed. Pepper'd have him out on his ass in no time.

Mal-the-ignorant laughed uproariously and began to speak. Tony smiled to himself as he only half listened to what the idiot was saying. And with a laugh like _that_, well, Tony couldn't believe he'd been worried about competition from _this_ guy. Suddenly he caught the tail end of what Mal-the-dickweed was saying and froze.

"_What_ did you just say?" asked Tony, his eyes wide in disbelief.  
Mal-the-_fuck_head looked at him smugly as he settled back into his chair.  
"I said, I've known Ginny for the past four years, and that I'm her fiancé."

**TBC  
A/N:** Yes, I DO think Aaron Eckhart is freakishly weird looking and inordinately blonde**.** Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** For badfish: I meant to write Aaron Eckhart, not Alan Arkin. Alan Arkin _is_ a bald, old man.

- -

Tony just stared at him.

_Fiancé?_Pepper had a fiancé? Since when did Pepper have a _boyfriend_, let alone a fiancé? Tony stared at the man sitting across the table. It all felt like a bad dream. But somehow he knew he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. He looked at the little bunch of thistles on the table. The silken ribbon had been scratched by the thorns; and the bouquet he'd worked so hard on, had suddenly begun to look cheap and tacky. As he trailed a finger down the length of the torn silk, he realized that Mal was still talking.

"…of course, not _officially _her fiancé, but we've already talked about it and…"

Tony tuned out everything after that. His heart had felt a brief glimmer of hope; but that had died after a few seconds. As he settled heavily into his chair, he couldn't help but wonder if he was even worthy of Pepper. Apparently he'd pretty much ignored her for all of the twelve years that they'd known each other (so much so that he hadn't even heard her mention Mal-the-dipshit's _name_). So could he just lay_ claim _to her now? Simply on the basis of an epiphany he'd had a few _days_ ago?

He looked at the man sitting across the table from him. _Malcolm. _The name suited him. And as Tony took in his clear blue eyes and tanned face, he grudgingly admitted that Mal didn't look like a _complete_ dickhead. His thoughts began to wander.

Pepper… And Malcolm. Malcolm and Pepper. He rolled their names around his tongue; trying to wrap himself around the situation somehow. How had they met? At a park? At one of those art conventions? Pepper loved art conventions. Had he brought her roses on their first date? Or day-lilies? Did they share the same taste in art? In music? He smiled slightly as he remembered the evening he'd accidentally caught sight of Pepper dancing to Earth Angel by Buddy Holly. She couldn't dance to save her life. Malcolm looked like the kind of guy who couldn't dance to save his life either.

And all of a sudden he could _see_ Pepper and Malcolm; dancing badly to Buddy Holly in a kitchen somewhere.

He nodded sadly at something Mal said as he stroked the wilting flower heads on the table. Some long smothered, annoyingly noble part of him begged that he do the right thing. That if he truly _cared_ for Pepper, he'd just let her be happy with Mal-the-Walking-Cliché.

And yet… He'd been so _sure_. Especially after that night on the balcony where they'd almost kissed… His heart leapt up again. Maybe there was still hope. Maybe if he could just show her how it would be just as good with _him. _That it would be _better._ It would be _right_. His musings were cut short by Pepper herself walking into the room. He looked at her and swallowed.

She was standing against the big bay window in the lobby; wearing her officious looking pencil skirt with her hair done up just the way he hated. The light streamed in through the translucent glass; the beams stealing gently around her body. Playing some game with her that only he could see. They caught the little dust particles floating in the air around her. Mocking him, he thought, as they touched with so much ease what he couldn't ever have now. He could almost see them smirk as they spilled across the honey-gold strands of her hair. As they slow danced with the cinnamon freckles that dusted her skin. And even though he didn't think it was possible; he was pretty sure that in that moment, he'd fallen in love with her all over again. He watched her eyes light up as she saw him, her lips parting slightly as the ghost of a smile flitted across her face.

"Mal!You came!" she screamed and ran forward to the man next to him; enveloping him in a close hug. Tony quietly stepped aside as he forced a horribly cheery smile onto his face. He thrust the tiny bouquet inside his blazer jacket, stuffing it out of sight into the inner pocket. The sharp thorns pricked his side, ripping the lining of his suit; but he ignored them. There was no way he was letting Pepper see those flowers now.

Pepper and Mal broke apart; and she smiled as she turned to him. "Tony, this is Mal. He's-", she began when Tony cut in. "We've met, thanks." He said abruptly. He didn't think he could handle Pepper driving _home _the point that this blonde American _cliché_ was going to take her away from him.

Even as her blue eyes narrowed in surprise; his own flared up in sudden anger. Maybe he _had_ been a monumental _ass_ for not telling her how he felt sooner; but _she'd_ been leading him on as well, hadn't she? _Four years_, he recalled bitterly. Four years, Mal-the-asshole had said. Suddenly Tony felt betrayed. Betrayed and horribly, horribly used. And the moments they'd shared over the past few weeks seemed to hurt all the more for it.

_You're all I have too, you know.  
You're going to kill yourself Tony. And I'm not going to be a part of it.  
Proof that Tony Stark has a heart._

And just like that, Tony found he couldn't even stand being around the two of them anymore. He stepped forward and shook Mal-the-fuckwit's hand forcefully. "It was nice to have met you, _Mal_. I wish I could stay, but you know how it is." He tried to think of an excuse, and then decided he didn't care what Mal-the-dickweed thought of him either way. He then turned to Pepper, returning her glare with interest. He smiled a wide false smile, showing all of his teeth. "Take the day off, Potts. You've been working too hard lately. Stabler can handle whatever you were going to do." And with that he turned on his heel and walked out of the lobby.

Pepper felt her fists tighten as she watched Tony stalk off towards his office. She turned towards Malcolm. "Mal…I... I'm sorry about that. I'll go talk to him. I don't know what's gotten into him lately." He looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "You don't have to do this. You know that."

"Do what?" asked Pepper, puzzled. He sighed. "_This._ Playing fucking _nursemaid_ to him all the time. He's a grown man, Gin. He treats you like a personal babysitter. You've been working till after four in the mornings for the past _two days_. He shouldn't be offloading so much work on you when he's _more_ than capable of – " he began when Pepper snorted. "Mal. Stop. If you knew Tony like I did you'd know he isn't capable of _feeding_ himself on a regular basis if I didn't remind him to do so."

He looked at her earnest face and shook his head. How could she not see that it ran deeper than her simply being Tony Stark's _nursemaid?_ The man was in _love_ with her. Mal unconsciously clenched his fist. How could she not _see_ that? He'd known the man for barely an hour and _he'd_ been able to see through his pathetic attempt at disguising his feelings. He looked at her and shook his head. "I'm trying to help you Gin. I really don't think you have a handle on what's going on here."

Pepper looked at him and smiled sadly. "I know what it looks like, Mal. He's not that bad. I know he can be a little difficult, but… Look, I'll tell you what. I'll go talk some sense into him and we'll do something in the evening when I get off work." And when she ruffled his hair, she looked so woebegone that Mal found him nodding in assent. But even as he watched her walk towards the big mahogany doors that lead to Tony Stark's office; he was suddenly afraid that he'd made a huge mistake.

- -

**A/N:** Muhaha! What will happen when Pepper confronts Tony? Please air your views on Mal; he's pretty much my first serious OC. (And we all know our feelings about OCs...)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I suppose it's too much to ask to review each chapter separately; isn't it? :P

She opened the door to his office and walked in; the echo of her heels on the floor the only thing breaking the uncomfortable silence that spanned the length of his office. The blinds had been pulled over the picture window; leaving the room in an eerie sort of half light. He was sitting on the leather chair behind his desk; facing the window. She didn't fail to see the amber coloured tumbler of scotch in his hand.

"Tony."  
He didn't turn.  
"_Tony_."

He swiveled the chair around carelessly; raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Instead he opened a drawer and drew out a handsome black and silver cigar case. "Habano?" he asked casually. She pursed her lips and shook her head. He got up and moved to the front of his desk so they were both facing the desk. He lazily walked over to her so that they now stood side by side, barely inches apart.

_Close. _

As his arm brushed hers, she unconsciously stiffened. He cocked his head; his dark eyes boring dangerously into hers. He smiled a slow predatory smile, and she shivered to see it did not reach his eyes. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Potts?" he asked, as he leaned closer; his chest lightly touching against her back. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck as he snaked an arm around her; reaching for something on the desk. Her face flushed as she breathed in the mingled odors of cigar smoke, scotch and Tony's aftershave. He was playing with her; and she hated him for it.

"Not in the least, Mister Stark." she said evenly, as she picked up the cigar cutter he had been looking for and handed it to him. He smiled softly as he cut the head off the habano. He lit it carefully; and leaned back to watch the newborn gray haze of smoke spiral upwards. He placed the cigar in his mouth and turned to look at her, his gaze flat and emotionless. "I believe I gave you the day off, Potts. Why are you still here?"

She crossed her arms and stood with her legs slightly apart. "What you did outside was incredibly rude, you know."  
He raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Why? I had something better to do, so I left. Forgive me if I don't find _Mal_ as important as you do." He added bitterly before he drained the contents of the tumbler. As he tipped the decanter and began pouring more alcohol into his glass; Pepper's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you." She whispered. "Why are you being so _stupid_ about this?" He looked at her and laughed humorlessly. "Me? _I'm_ being stupid about this?"

She stood her ground as he inched closer to her. "Never knew blonde was your kink, Potts." They were face to face now. "You're in my _space_, Tony." she whispered breathlessly; even as he ignored the question and moved closer. Somewhere in the course of the conversation the balance between them had shifted. And she no longer knew who was in control. And he was so close.

Their noses were almost touching. _  
_"Do you ever think about that night on the balcony, Potts?"_  
_So close she could see his eyes. His dark, dark eyes.  
"You ever think about us, Potts?"  
So close she could smell the alcohol upon his breath.

Their eyes were locked in an unblinking stare as she unconsciously stepped backwards. The tension between them was thick and primal. _Suffocating._ Some deep rooted instinct told her to run as Tony stepped forward and effortlessly closed the distance between them again. "You're drunk. And I'm leaving." she said softly; but even as she turned to leave she felt his hand grab her wrist.

"No, you're _not._" he said roughly; and then everything changed as his mouth covered hers. In that moment all the boundaries she'd drawn so carefully were washed away like lines in the sand because he was kissing her and she was kissing him and he tasted like cinnamon and saliva and cigar smoke and alcohol. As his tongue slipped over her own she could feel the burn of the scotch in her mouth. Some still-cognizant part of her screamed in protest at what was happening.

_Don't want it to happen this way. Not this way. Not after all these years of waiting. Not like this._

She pushed him away; splaying her fingers across his chest as she broke the kiss. "Tony… I…" she began and then faltered; because she didn't know what to say. When Tony didn't say anything she looked at him; forcing her eyes to meet his own. She owed him that much. But what she saw made her breath catch in her throat. Because the man standing not inches away from her may as well have been a stranger.

His face was impassive; a perfect mask of cordiality. But his eyes gave him away. They were dark with anger and he held her gaze for an entire minute before his lips broke into a thin smile. "You know what really surprises me? For a moment there I actually thought I had a chance. Go, Potts. Go before I change my mind."

Pepper looked at him uncertainly. What did he mean? What chance? What was he talking about? But even before she could form a coherent sentence he cut in. "I'm not in the mood for platitudes Pepper, so please don't." And then he smiled bitterly. "Besides, why are you even here? Shouldn't you be off fucking _blondie_ somewhere?"

Pepper's face flushed with anger and before she could stop herself she had raised her hand and slapped him across his face. "How _dare_ you? I can't believe I even… You know what? Forget it. I'm not having this conversation with you." And before he could reply she backed away, and in a perfect imitation of him not minutes ago; she turned on her heel and began walking towards the door.

"That's right, _Potts_! Take the easy way out! Pretend that there's nothing here. I hope you and Fuckwit are _very_ happy together!" He yelled. She turned around slowly and looked at him. He was standing unsteadily near the desk; his blazer ripped at his right side and his tie askew. She could still taste the scotch on her tongue.

She fought back a sudden urge to cry as her hand caught the brass door knob.  
"You know what really surprises _me_, Tony? The fact that _I_ fell in love with _you._ Goodbye."

And then she walked out the door.

- -  
**TBC  
A/N:** -dodges evil glances and sharp objects- This is a Tony/ Pepper story! But I think Tony has a right to be supremely pissed off, don't you? Also, i tried to write out a good kissing scene, I really did! But I'm no good at it, sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Unbeta-d as always. Please let me know of any errors.

Malcolm sat near the coffee machine outside; drumming absently on the glass tabletop. Suddenly his fingers touched the edge of something soft. He picked up the offending object between his forefinger and thumb.

It was a fragment of a thistle flower.

As he contemplated the pale pink petals; he heard a door slam. He looked up to see a furious Virginia Potts standing in the hallway; her fists clenched at her sides. Malcolm's eyes widened and he dropped the flower to the floor. He walked over to her; covering the distance in three long strides. She stood seething before him; every inch of her radiating anger. "I need you to do me a favor, Mal. Take me home. Now. Apparently I have the day 'off'."

He nodded silently as he took her arm and steered her towards the elevator. He cursed inwardly for not acting three days ago. A part of him hated himself for what he was doing but after all that happened to him; he couldn't let her make the same mistake. It would hurt in the beginning but the pain would pass. Pain always did. _  
_  
As they neared the vehicle, Malcolm looked at her as he carefully considered his next question. "What happened?" he asked softly as he inserted the keys into the ignition. Pepper sat in the passenger's seat, staring stonily ahead. She turned to face him and was surprised to see that he wasn't meeting her eyes. "I… Nothing. Tony being a jerk. As usual. Not your fault", she said bitterly.

"I'm not so sure about that", he muttered. And even as Pepper looked at him quizzically, he gunned the car down the road.

- -

High up on the fifth floor, an unsteady pair of hands parted the blinds covering the picture window. Tony could see Pepper and Fuckwit walking towards her car. His knuckles clenched white around the crystal tumbler in his hand. There was no sound in the room save for his breathing and the soft clink of the ice in his glass. As he watched the silver Audi roar out the gate, he repressed the sudden urge to call her car phone. Instead he raised his glass in a silent toast. His lips curved into a masochistic smile as he drained its contents in a single burning swallow. It seemed only fitting. After all, he'd just managed to single handedly fuck up the best thing in his life, hadn't he?

Fifteen minutes later the Tesla Speedster skidded to a halt; and Tony staggered into his house. He headed straight for the bar and began pulling out bottles. Lots and lots of bottles. He meandered down to his workshop, precariously balancing his burden as he entered the passcode. The door opened on the third try and he walked in; nearly tripping and landing heavily on the couch. The leather was soft and worn and he buried his face into it; closing his eyes. Suddenly he felt tired. So very tired.

"You have an alarming amount of alcohol in your bloodstream, Tony. Your heart rate seems to be irregular and your pupils are dilated, I would strongly suggest you call a doctor. Or if not a doctor, perhaps Colonel Rhodes, or – "

"_Can_ it, Jarvis. There will be no phone calls made from this house. To _anyone._ That's an order. Do you understand that?

"Understood sir", said Jarvis; and paused before continuing in a gentler voice. "I assume all did not go well with Miss Potts?"

"No,_ genius._ It did _not_ go well with Miss _Potts_. It went fucking horrible and – and what the fuck is that _smell?"_

He snapped open his eyes as he caught the faint smell of vanilla and lavender in the air. _The fucking lilies_, he remembered dully. He stared at the showy white blossoms that littered the room. The wilted flower heads bent forlornly towards the ground; almost as if they were hanging their heads in shame. In his mind's eye he could see each and every cinnamon freckle glaring at him; in mute condemnation of what he had done. A sudden burst of rage coursed through him and he hurled his glass at the flowers.

The crystal shattered upon impact; spraying shards everywhere. He watched them cut through the pale petals with a perverse pleasure; smiling bitterly as the mangled blooms fell to the floor. But it wasn't enough. He stood up and cursed; hurling bottle after bottle at the remaining flowers. As the last bottle crashed into the wall his eyes darted around; looking for something else to throw. Upon finding nothing he lunged at the flowers with his bare hands; intent on ripping them out from the walls himself. His alcohol soaked mind misjudged the distance between his body and the wall however; and he crashed into the metallic cabinet near the wall, knocking it over.

That was when he saw the glint of metal near his feet. His mind was fuzzy as he reached out for the antique pistol. He brought it close, cradling it in his hands carefully. His eyes misted over as he recognized it. _Dad's old Beretta 418._ He stood up unsteadily; rubbing his beard as he surveyed the destruction around him. The room was filled with broken flowers and glass; reeking with the stench of alcohol. _And Dad would be so proud,_ he thought bitterly.Filled with sudden self loathing; he looked at the gun in his hands. He closed his eyes in an attempt to calm down; to regain some semblance of normalcy.

"Sir, it would be advisable to put the gun down. With the amount of alcohol you have in your system; I don't think it wise for you to carry firearms –"

That was when Tony lost his temper and made the mistake of turning around. The world revolved in hazy blur of scotch as he stumbled against the debris under his feet. His right foot turned at the heel; the left hanging precariously in mid air as he lost his balance. He looked almost like a dancer as his hands shot out to gain purchase against the fallen cabinet. He had no control over his limbs as his arms flailed helplessly, his finger tightening involuntarily against the trigger of the ancient pistol.

And then the gun fired.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Apologies for the inordinately long delay, but this story has been giving me more trouble than it's worth! I've had plot confusion / characterization issues and other life crap. Aaand I'm not entirely sure that people are going to be hating the story once I'm done :P But faint heart never won fair lady yada yada?

mac: Thanks a lot, your review actually meant a lot. I never realise when I meander, and telling me to get to the point was a great way to get me going.

Enough rambling now, onward with the fic!

--

Twenty Minutes Earlier

Pepper looked at Malcolm as he drove.

"What did you mean it's your fault? How could it be your fault?"

He looked ahead; changing from fourth gear to fifth. "You answer my question, I'll answer yours. What did –", he began when the shrill ringing of a phone filled the air. Malcolm shifted in his seat as he tried to reach his cell phone. "Urghhh. Just get the phone, Gin. It might be important." Pepper huffed, but reached over to retrieve his cell phone from his jacket pocket. She pressed the green answer button and took the call.

"Mmm-hmm. Yes. I'll see that he gets your message. Bye."  
"Who was it?"  
"Natalie. She says good luck."

She didn't fail to notice his eyes cloud over as he parked the car. As they got out and began walking on the driveway; Pepper crossed her arms. "I know there's something you're not telling me. What happened with you and Tony? And why was Natalie so weird on the phone? What's she wishing you good luck for?" Malcolm said nothing and merely gestured for the house keys. Pepper stood her ground.

Malcolm's shoulders sagged and he sighed. "Can we… just do this _inside?_" Pepper nodded as she tossed him the keys. He unlocked the door and they both walked in. Pepper shut the door behind her and looked at Malcolm. He didn't turn around. Pepper squared her shoulders. "I'm waiting, Mal." He sighed and turned to face her.

"I may have told him you and I… that is… um… that we were… engaged…"

For a moment she just stood there, processing all the events that had occurred. Suddenly everything began to make sense, in a horrible, twisted kind of way. Then anger took over. She launched herself at him; hitting and scratching every inch of flesh she could see as he desperately tried grabbing her hands to stop her. His fingers curled around her wrists; and he forced her bloodshot eyes to meet his own.

"Will you at least _hear_ me out? Or will you just keep yelling?"

She glared at him for a few minutes. "Fine. You have fifteen minutes. And only because I've known you since we were in kindergarten. But after fifteen minutes, I'm calling him." He looked at her and ran his hands nervously through his hair. "Fair enough. It's only _because_ I've known you for so long that I even did this. You're one of my best friends, you _moron_. You think I _like_ lying to you, Gin? You wanted to know why Natalie was so weird over the phone, right? _This_ is exactly why." He said bitterly.

She looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean? How does Natalie fit into any of this?" He looked at her and smiled miserably. "Nat and I aren't exactly on speaking terms anymore. _That's_ why I'm out here. I couldn't stand being at work anymore. I quit." Pepper's eyes widened and she had to stop herself from reaching out for his hand. "But you and Nat… What happened?"

"Nat fell in love with me, that's what fucking happened. And everything changed." He said abruptly, and her eyes softened as she understood. "Because you didn't feel the same way, did you?" He laughed bitterly at her response. "Good guess. And she didn't take it very well. Everything became awkward, strained. I couldn't _stand_ it anymore. I tried talking to her, but it was never the same after that. It got to a point where we couldn't even look each other in the _eye_ anymore. We stopped working well together, and the project was reassigned. And then everyone _else_ started tiptoeing around us too. The final straw was when they brought up my lack of _professionalism_ in my fucking review. I quit. I lost a good friend and a job I loved in the same day. And I'll be _damned_ if I let the same thing happen to you."

Pepper narrowed her eyes. "Why would the same thing happen to me?" Malcolm jerked his head to look at her. "You mean you honestly can't see it? The man is _obviously_ attracted to you. I might even go so far as to say that he might actually think himself in _love_ with you! It's a very common thing in trauma victims. And though I know you're attracted to him, I don't want you getting into something _he_ might let go of later." He finished off angrily.

Pepper looked at him through stony eyes. "First of all, I'd appreciate that you didn't take such _life impacting _decisions on my behalf. And what the _hell_ was that remark about 'trauma victims' and him 'letting it go' later?"

Malcolm closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. _This was not going to be easy_. He blew out a breath before he spoke, weighing each word carefully. "It has been… observed… that sometimes when a person undergoes a, uh, traumatic experience, their perspective on life is altered... somewhat. This may be followed by a short period of self flagellation, over perhaps less-than-perfect life choices prior to the experience. Some people tend to go over the top trying to compensate. Especially people like Tony Stark."

"Explain _people like Tony Stark."_ said Pepper icily, not even bothering to hide her anger anymore.

"Christ, Gin! Do I have to spell it out for you? The guy was an _arms_ dealer. Have you even _read _the fucking newspapers? You know? The whole thing where Tony Stark got abducted, came back, built himself a suit and started calling himself a _superhero_? And let's not forget that this is the notoriously egotistical _playboy_ who allegedly went twelve for twelve with the _Maxim_ girls. What's preventing him falling back into his previous _established_ pattern of behavior? It's practically text-book, for crying out loud!"

Pepper's eyes widened and her hands balled into small fists as she fought for self control. "How _dare _you? He's _not_ like that. You don't even know him, how could you _say_ that, Mal? You've never judged anybody in your _life!_ Why start now? Why start with him?"

"I'm not judging him. Okay, so maybe I am a little, but not without reason. Christ, have you _seen_ yourself lately? You look like you haven't slept in two days! Do you know why? Because it's _true._ And all of this because you're at the mercy of a man who hasn't a fucking clue as to what he's doing! And as for me not knowing anything about him, okay, so maybe I don't know him personally. But I do know there's no smoke without a fire. You can't honestly expect me to believe that the papers have been getting it _wrong_ all of these years? That he's actually a poor, misunderstood genius and _not_ just a really intelligent, self absorbed _jerk_? Because I've heard _you_ call him that at least _once_. So forgive me if I'm trying to look out for you."

"I'm not going to excuse Tony's actions over the years. And yes, he _is_ a jerk. Given what he did today, he's probably _more_ of a jerk than he was yesterday. But that's not all he is. He is trying _really_ hard to make up for all the things he's done; and I will _not_ have you just _trivialize_ that by making him sound like some _whack-job_ case study your psychiatry buddies are working on!"

"Okay. Maybe that was uncalled for, and maybe telling him you and I were engaged wasn't the brightest thing to do either, but answer this question for me. Say you got together with him, and say it ended badly. Would you be able to face him the day after? Tell me you wouldn't quit. Tell me you wouldn't do it. You've worked too hard to get here, and I know how much it means to you. I will _not have you _throw away everything you've worked so hard for. I _won't_, _goddamnit!_" he finished off, drumming his fingers rapidly on the tabletop.

Pepper looked at his fingers thrum against the wood. Some detached part of her recognized the action as a tic, much like Tony's tendency to do the same to his arc reactor. The same detached part of her clinically ran through what Mal had said and recognized the deeper undercurrents of what he was saying. The larger part of her, the part _mad_ at Mal wanted to throttle him and rush to Tony. But then again, that part of her also wanted to throttle _Tony_ once she got to him. Her fists clenched and unclenched as she tried to work through the frustration building inside her. But it wasn't really working.

_Why couldn't both the men just talk to her, instead of jumping to conclusions and acting like complete jerks?_

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, steadying herself. With every cold breath of air that entered her lungs, her feeling of detachment grew. Her anger slowly started melting away, to be replaced by a cold and clinical sense of objectivity. She opened her eyes, and looked at Malcolm. "You know, for someone so insightful, you seem to be missing the bigger picture." "Excuse me?" He said as he looked at her, puzzled. She walked over to the coat rack. "This isn't about me. Or about Tony, for that matter. This is about _you_ and _Natalie_. That and the fact that you're too much of a coward to even face the fact that you're too _scared_ of what might happen if you talk to her."

"Hey. I _spoke_ to her, she was the one who didn't even _want_ to-"__

"I mean beyond that first time, Malcolm. Of _course_ she was awkward in the beginning, you idiot. You tried to fix everything by pretending nothing _happened? _How do you think that made her feel? How do you think it made her feel when you swept the fact that she _loved you_ under the carpet? Yeah, so your supervisors were a bunch of morons if they questioned your professionalism, but you're an idiot too. You fucked it up with Nat, Mal. And you're trying to _atone_ for it somehow by trying to somehow 'fix' me and Tony. "

He opened his mouth and then shut it again. For a long time neither of them said a word.  
"My God, I really have fucked it up, haven't I?" he said softly, as he stared at the table.

Pepper looked at him, torn between sympathy and indifference. Then she remembered the look on Tony's face as she had laughed with Mal. "Pretty much, yes." she said curtly as she began pulling on her coat. Malcolm watched her close the buttons in silence. Then as she began walking towards the door, he stood up abruptly. "Where are you going?" he asked, his voice suddenly sounding very tired, She looked at him, her blue eyes reflecting the weariness inside her.

"Out. I need to clear my head."  
"What about him? Aren't you going to talk to him?"  
"_No._ I just... need to be alone right now."

They both looked at each other from across the room. Her face was closed off and pale, while his was grim. He studied her as she glared at him, her body stiff and taut with the tension that ran inside her. He narrowed his eyes in comprehension, and was the first to break eye contact.

"Something happened in the office between you two, didn't it?"  
"I… yes. He did something... stupid. I know why he did it now, but that still doesn't excuse his behavior."

The room was engulfed in silence once more.

"He kissed you. In the office. He kissed you didn't he?"

"Yes." she said harshly and began to reach for the doorknob when Mal threw something at her. Her hands automatically reached out to catch the shiny silver object as it fell towards her. As she closed her fingers around it, her eyes flicked up to meet his. His gaze was steady as he crossed over to where she was standing.

"Call him." he said quietly. She looked at him, mystified. "Just because I made a mistake, doesn't mean you should too." Pepper looked at him and then at the phone. And then her fingers started dialing of their own volition as she glared at Malcolm. "This doesn't let you off the hook, you know that." she said angrily. "I wouldn't have it any other way." he replied grimly, before he began shrugging on his jacket. She could hear the tiny noise of the phone ring in her ear. "Where are you going?", she mouthed as she saw him gathering his things. "As much _fun_ as this has been, Gin, I think it would be best if I lef-" She held up her hand to cut him off. _On the call now,_ she mouthed. He nodded silently and resumed packing.

"_Mr. Stark is unable to answer his mobile phone at this time. To leave a mess-"_

She swore softly and punched in another number. Soon the familiar voice of Jarvis came over the airwaves.  
_  
"You have reached the residence of Mr. Stark. To log into the virtual private network please leave a voice sample to authenticate yourself. "_

"Pepper Potts." she said impatiently. "I need to speak to Ton-"

_"Miss Potts, it is extremely urgent that you arrive here as soon as possible. Mr. Stark has forbidden me from making external phone calls; and given his current condition – "_

Pepper froze. "What happened? Where is he? Put him on."

"_Mr. Stark has an alarming capacity of alcohol in his bloodstream and he is currently in possession of his father's old Beretta 418. It would be best that you arrive here as soon as possible. Meanwhile I will attempt to try and talk him through th–"_

Suddenly the phone went dead.

"Hello? Hello?" she yelled into the phone as she frantically began to redial.

"_You have reached the residence of Mr. Stark. We appear to be experiencing technical difficulties at this time. If you wish to leave a message-"_

She cut the call and looked up to find a pair of determined blue eyes meeting her worried ones. He said nothing; and instead grabbed hold of her shoulder and began steering her towards the car.

"Get in. I'm driving."

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A/N: Please review, and let me know if the plot makes little or no sense to you. Next chapter will be up shortly. Oh and opinions on Mal please! Plus let me know if they're getting too OC.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Okay, here's number 6! And please, be as brutal as possible with characterization reviews. Malcolm, Pepper and Tony have been giving me hell writing them.

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The Stark Mansion stood tall and black, silhouetted against the purple evening sky. Malcolm tore down the road, driving the car at breakneck speed. He looked at the woman sitting next to him. She was sitting in a corner of the seat, tracing nervous circles on the leather. He reached out and grabbed her hand. "It's going to be okay. I_ promise_. Say it with me, Gin." He whispered as he squeezed her hand. She looked at him miserably and he swore softly as he forced his facial features to remain calm. He was going to fucking fix this, even if it _killed_ him.

He braked hard as they neared the gates to the mansion. He watched Pepper enter the security codes, and as the gates opened; the car revved up and stopped on a dime outside the entrance. She ran out of the car as soon as it stopped. He followed quickly behind her, watching her enter some more security codes into a panel on the wall.

The door opened with a hiss, and he ran in after her. "No Jarvis. This is _bad_." He heard her say haltingly as he followed her down a flight of stairs. Before he could wonder who Jarvis was, the strong, sharp odors of cordite and alcohol assailed his nostrils. He stepped into the room after her through metallic frames that used to be doors; the glass on them having been shattered beyond repair. The room's deafening silence was broken only by Pepper's yelling out of Tony's name. As her calls received no answer, a desperate chill filled him as he forced his eyes to look around as well. "Stark!" he yelled, only to be met with deafening silence.

_Fuck! This is all my fault! If I've fucked this up for them I'll - _

That was when he saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind the couch. A pair of legs that weren't moving.

"Ginny! Over here!" He shouted as he ran towards the couch. Pepper's eyes were red as she knelt down beside the dark haired man on the floor. "I swear, Mal, if anything's happened to him… _Please_, just make sure he's okay." He looked at her, holding her bloodshot eyes with his steady blue ones. "I can handle this. I've been doing this for a long time now. But I need your help. I need you to _focus,_ okay, Gin? I need you to get me some alcohol, cotton and something that would work like a pair of forceps. Can you do that for me?" he said slowly. She looked at him and nodded. He turned his attention back to the man laying in front of him, the doctor in him taking over. He willed himself to view the man in front of him as just another patient. Just another patient. Not somebody who his erstwhile best friend was in love with.

But that was easier said than done; for Tony Stark was lying very, very still on the floor. His eyes were closed and there was dried blood from a cut on his temple. Malcolm automatically brought his fingers to the skin below the man's ear. As he felt the artery pulse below his fingers, he nearly slumped over in relief. The heartbeat was clear and strong. This meant that either the bullet had missed Stark altogether, or had only grazed him. He delicately felt over the prone man's arms and legs, searching for broken bones and possible hematoma. His heart leapt as he found nothing except for a few abrasions, which were probably caused when Stark had fallen to the floor.

He forced himself to remain calm as he tore open the dark blazer the unconscious man was wearing. Judging by the smell of cordite in the air, the gun in Stark's hand had been fired recently. This meant finding the bullet, and though he was hopeful, he'd seen too much in the trauma ward to treat this lightly. But if he was lucky, there would be no bullet to find.

He took a deep breath began searching for the telltale red blossom of blood on the light blue shirt under his hands. As his fingers ghosted lightly over Stark's body, he heard a small, muffled moan. "_Mmmm_… Potts, is that you?"

Malcolm's hand jerked away just as Tony's eyes opened. Both men stared at each other dumbly for a few moments. Malcolm was the first to recover.

"Are you hurt? Have you been shot?" he asked calmly, as he felt over Tony's head for injuries.

Tony stared at him before he turned away and shook his head. "No, I haven't been shot. I'm fine. Got the mother of all headaches, but I'm fine." He said as he rubbed the back of his head. Malcolm's hands shot out and grabbed Tony's face, forcing the latter to look at him. "_I'll _decide if you're fine. I need you to answer my questions carefully. What is your name, and how many fingers am I holding up?" Tony stared at him. "Routine check for possible concussion, Stark. Just answer the question." said Malcolm shortly. Tony said nothing, and continued to stare over his shoulder.

Puzzled, Malcolm turned his head to see Pepper coming towards him with a bottle of scotch, something resembling forceps and lots of cotton. "Mal, something's wrong with the control panel back there. It's sparking and –" she began shakily when Tony cut in. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I think I may have _shot_ Jarvis."

Pepper stared at him and froze. Her hands mechanically deposited her burden onto Malcolm's lap and soon Tony found himself enveloped in a warm hug, his nose buried in her hair. He allowed himself to fall into her, reveling in the familiar lavender scent that was Pepper. For a few minutes there was silence; sweet blessed silence, as Tony wrapped his arms around Pepper and buried his face into her neck. She held him for a few minutes before she gently broke the hug. She brushed his hair off his forehead, inspecting the cut on his temple. "Are you okay? Malcolm, is he okay?"

That was when Tony remembered Malcolm. He ground his teeth as he surveyed him from top to bottom; and unconsciously tightened his grip around Pepper's waist. "Why are _you_ here? Because if you think for one minute… "

Malcolm rolled his eyes as he cut in. "_Relax,_ genius. I'm not her fiancé. And yes, Gin, he appears to be fine. But we have more important questions at hand. Number one being, who is Jarvis? And does he require medical attention? Although judging by both your blasé reactions, I'm guessing I'm missing something here."

Tony almost laughed as he realized the absurdity of the question. "Jarvis isn't a person_._ He's a computer program. Artificial intelligence…" Then his eyes hardened as he looked at Mal. "what did you just say?" Malcolm looked at him coldly as he considered the question. Tony never waited for him to begin speaking, however. Instead he lashed out with his fist, catching Malcolm square on the jaw. The blonde man fell back against the floor, but he recovered quickly. He pushed himself against Tony, tackling the man to the floor in turn. They both struggled against each other, Malcolm trying to unsuccessfully avoiding the blows that Tony threw at him; while trying to subdue him at the same time.

"You've just had a _concussion, _fuckwit – "  
"Don't you call me fuckwit, _fuckwit! _What the _fuck _do you mean you're not engaged to Pepper? If you've been _dicking_ around with me –"  
"I haven't been _dicking_ around with you, _fuckwit_. If you hadn't been dicking around with _yourself – "  
_"Who the fuck do you think you're calling – "  
"Not everything centers around you, you self-absorbed little piece of- "

"Stop it! _Stop _it, both of you!"

Both men turned to stare at Pepper. Tony looked blankly at her as he tried to stand up. _"Me?_ But he was the one who _lied_ about - ", he began when Pepper cut him off with a single, penetrating stare. "Don't think I haven't noticed the workshop, Tony." she whispered angrily, indicating the broken bottles and the flowers. "Jarvis called me and told me you were drunk and had a _gun._ How do you think that made me _feel?_" As Tony began to stumble forward, she stepped back.

"No. I don't want you, or _anyone_," she turned to look at Malcolm, "coming near me. I hate you both right now._" _She looked at Tony, heat pricking the corners of her eyes. "Do you know how it feels to be kept in the dark? And to be unable to just be honest with someone you care about? You both claim to care about me, and yet throughout this _fucked_ up day, nobody has even cared enough to ask me how _I_ felt; about _anything_. You both just jumped to your own conclusions about things that involved _me_, left _me_ out of the loop and began this… this _pissing_ contest!" She glared at the two men in front of her, eyes red and lower lip quivering dangerously as she searched for something scathing to say. All of the events of the day caught up with her and the dam broke. It broke and all the emotions that she'd been keeping in check came bursting forth like a tidal wave. "Why can't both of you think about something beyond your goddamn _egos_ for once?" she whispered angrily. "I said; don't come near me right now. I meant it, Tony." She said, as she saw him start towards her. "I want the keys to the Audi, Mal. _Now._"

Malcolm stood there hesitantly, looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. He took out the keys from his pocket and stood there; fighting an internal battle with himself. "Where are you going?" Malcolm looked up sharply at the speaker. Tony stood against the wall, balancing a hand unsteadily on the worktable. He tried in vain to appear calm, but his eyes gave him away. They were dark and burned with a multitude of emotions. Malcolm watched Pepper and Tony stare at each other; until Pepper finally answered. "I'm going home. And I'd like my keys." She turned to look at Malcolm. He looked at her and wordlessly tossed Tony the keys. He saw the dark haired man catch them awkwardly and turn his gaze towards Pepper.

Her eyes widened for a moment, and then narrowed. "I'm _not_ asking again." she said through gritted teeth.

Tony looked at her and tilted his head. He smiled sadly and with a quick flick of his wrist, the keys sailed through the air and landed in Pepper's outstretched hand. And as she grabbed the keys, he turned his head so he wouldn't have to see her leave. He cleared his throat. "Drive safe." He mumbled. Pepper looked at him as she fingered the keys in her hand. "I will." She said softly.

Neither of them seemed very aware of the third person standing in the room. A third person whose heart twisted inside as he watched them both, knowing that the blame for all of this lay entirely on his shoulders.

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**A/N:** Yes, I am working on the seventh chapter. Again, I am overwhelmed by the response this story has gotten! I never thought that this would get so many reviews, alerts, anything. Thank you all for that, and I hope you like what you see here.


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